NEW YORK & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Facebook and Time Warner Inc. announced today the launch of the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge App, an interactive social media pledge that enables educators, parents and students to make a personal commitment—and recruit others to join them—to help stop bullying. Today’s news comes on the heels of a previously announced partnership to bring together and expand Facebook and Time Warner’s individual efforts against bullying.
This new social pledge app, accessed at www.facebook.com/stopbullyingspeakup, and named after the original bullying prevention initiative by Cartoon Network, represents the latest development in both companies’ long-term commitment to integrate broadcast, print, online and social media to inspire thoughtful conversation and share useful information and resources about bullying prevention, including situational recommendations for young victims and bystanders. Facebook, CNN, Cartoon Network and Time Inc. (PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME) will bring together their considerable resources and reach to hundreds of millions of people to promote the app with a comprehensive multi-platform campaign.
In addition to the app launch, Time Warner’s CNN announced its second Anderson Cooper 360° Town Hall special on Bullying. The special will premiere Sunday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Host Anderson Cooper, who has covered numerous stories about bullying, will break news with the results of an innovative Anderson Cooper 360° investigation that provides new insights about why kids bully each other. He will also speak with students, families, experts in the field and other special guests to determine if education, legislation and significant media attention over the last year has helped the bullying prevention effort on school campuses, in social media communities or in local neighborhoods.
"The Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge App is rooted in the fact that students, educators and parents have the power to stop bullying by speaking up when they see it occur," said Marne Levine, Vice President of Global Public Policy at Facebook. "The launch of this campaign reinforces our deep commitment to the safety and security of kids everywhere. By working with Time Warner, our hope is to inspire millions of people who witness bullying to take action."
“Today’s introduction of the Stop Bullying: Speak Up app is the continuation of a number of projects all of us are committed to focusing on around this crucial issue,” added Stuart Snyder, President/COO of Cartoon Network. “I know I speak for all of our partners at Time Warner when I say we are extremely proud of the care and thought that both of our companies have put into this effort to help educate and empower kids and adults with some of the key tools and resources needed to speak up when faced with the issue of bullying.”
The Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge Facebook App
A cornerstone of the bullying prevention campaign is the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Social Pledge Facebook App. Aimed specifically at inspiring bullying bystanders – witnesses to bullying -- the App enables students, educators, and parents to take a pledge to specific actions that will help stop bullying, share their Pledge and stories with friends and family, recruit others to join the movement, and start their own school-based bullying prevention groups on Facebook.
The App also features a personal greeting and thank you from Anderson Cooper, as well as a ‘Take Action Center’ that includes tools and resources from several nonprofit, government, and academic organizations.
Celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Enrique Iglesias and CJ Manigo, Ali Sepasyar, and Jackson Rogow, hosts of Cartoon Network’s Dude, What Would Happen, have been among the first to officially take the pledge to speak up against bullying and are asking others to follow their lead. These recognizable personalities are sharing their personal experiences with bullying, good and/or bad ways they dealt with it, and what they hope the future might bring for those who experience bullying in the future.
The Social Pledge App was developed by social marketing agency, Tenthwave. Headquartered in New York City, Tenthwave provides digital marketing and creative services ranging from web design and development, online promotions and sweepstakes, social media marketing and online brand activation.
About Facebook
Founded in February 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
About Time Warner
Time Warner Inc., a global leader in media and entertainment with businesses in television networks, filmed entertainment and publishing, uses its industry-leading operating scale and brands to create, package and deliver high-quality content worldwide through multiple distribution outlets.
About Rutgers University
Established in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 58,000 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries, Rutgers boasts a rich diversity of accomplished students and faculty. Many Rutgers programs rank in the top 10 nationally, including African-American History, Ceramic and Material Sciences and Engineering, Global Affairs, Women’s History, Environmental Sciences, American Literature, Philosophy and Planning and Public Policy.